Jason Wald has joined indie film studio Neon as vice president of acquisitions and production.
Wald joins the Oscar-winning shop from Searchlight Pictures. He will report to Jeff Deutchman, executive vice president of acquisitions and production. The company, behind hits like “Parasite” and “I, Tonya,” is seeking to ramp up original production in addition to curating its ongoing slate.
At Searchlight, Wald served as director of acquisitions. There he identified films for theatrical release and for streaming, via Searchlight’s output arrangement with Hulu. Prior to that, he was a member of the inaugural film team at Hulu Originals in the role of senior content acquisitions manager.
He was involved with fielding titles like “Palm Springs,” “Boss Level,” “Bad Hair,” “False Positive,” “Big Time Adolescence,” “Little Monsters” and the awards player “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” In his early years, Wald worked at the indie engine Radius-TWC, where Neon boss Tom Quinn also ran the show.
Neon made noise at the fall festivals this year with Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winner “Titane,” and nabbed the critically acclaimed “The Worst Person in the World” from the circuit. On deck they’ve got best actress frontrunner Kristen Stewart in “Spencer” from Pablo Larrain and Celine Sciamma’s “Petite Maman.” The company also recently acquired worldwide rights to “Beba,” the debut film by New York Afro Latina artist Rebeca Huntt, and “The End,” which will star Oscar winner Tilda Swinton, George MacKay and Stephen Graham. Production will begin in 2022. Neon is also handling the limited theatrical release of R.J. Cutler’s “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.”